I know it’s probably in bad taste to post a wishlist (for Christmas, no less!) after an unintentional hiatus, but I have my reasons. Just kidding, I don’t really. But the point is, this is mostly what I want for Christmas, in case anyone wants to get me anything.

Usually, it sort of serves as a personal checklist for me to tick off stuff I eventually end up buying for myself. I’m a terrible online shopper—I don’t mark the things I want, but I end up buying things out of impulse.

In any case, I will tell you what I want, what I really, really want.

A KINDLE.

The cheapest one on the market—not the Touch or the Fire.
I’m probably going to buy this for myself,
but here is a placeholder for you, you sexy thing.

A FIELD NOTES COLORS SUBSCRIPTION

Mostly because the price dropped ($97 from $129, darn it!),
and I’m a bit wary of purchasing another set,
because those notebooks come in more frequently than I can use them up.

This only means that I am not writing enough, really.
But. We’ll see. I usually give in anyway.

I mean, have you seen the colors?

XACTO Basic Set (Precision Knives)

I would love to say that I need this for my craft, and I do.
It’s just that I also want it because of the fun I can have with it.

Lomokino

A Lomography camera that takes microfilms. How awesome is that.

I would, however, settle for some film, though.
Quite partial to XPro Chrome.

AND THE OBVIOUS CONTENDERS:
books, DVDs, LPs, magazine subscriptions, art, money

Snail mail would be nice. I used to post my mailing address for all to see, but I now realize how that is an invitation for potentially creepy situations, so I’m thinking the better of it. I thought about getting a P.O. box, briefly, but then I thought—who the heck would send you mail?

If you, however, have sent me mail: my address is the same and I would love to hear from you. I promise to write back. Honest! Art trades, mix trades, words trades. I would love to connect with out off of the internet, and off of computers.

If you would like to know my address but are a n00b in my life (aka, potential creeper), send me an email first, and then we’ll see. I live in a compound with at least twenty other people, so it would be very hard to creep on me.

ANYWAY. I am not really a fan of materialism, but if anybody wanted to get me anything, here is some help. I don’t really like gag gifts. Don’t waste your money.

Anything you particularly want for Christmas? Honestly, I just want that Kindle.

In a lovely turn of events, I have been surrounded by new book projects, all of which are personal. It’s no secret that I love books. In fact, some may argue that I hoard them (which is probably true), so I’m so, so glad that I’ve been doing these book-related things, given that I haven’t really had much time to read this year.

First of all, there’s Recovery, which is a project with Cat. It’s an idea that’s been brewing in her cute little noggin’ and I loved it so much, I asked if I could join in. The main thing is that we really want to create a good atmosphere for Philippine literature by reviewing as many as we can, as well as “recovering” them.

I know we’re not alone in thinking that Philippine graphic design—at least, in terms of books—needs a little sprucing up. We have a lot of plans for this little thing, and we’re so glad for the encouraging words and expressed interest in Recovery.

We are going to be using this Twitter account and this Facebook page for updates, so if this is the kind of thing you’re into, please join the fun.

I’m also slowly updating Book Report, which was my book blog. I think I honestly read more (and “better”) when I kept a log and attempted reviews. I’m not the most intellectual person, and I get swayed easily if a sentence sounds right, but I do love books, and I miss talking about them.

The latest entry is about my October reads, illustrated volumes by Craig Thompson and Sanjay Patel. I like both because they are culturally unfamiliar territories to me, so it was a nice kind of change from what I usually read. You can read it here, if you are interested.

Last, but not the least—Read Hard. Read Hard is a book club that Zet started. I offered to help out with moderating it, when she chose “Everything Is Illuminated” as the first book. (Hehe.) And the followers just skyrocketed until we didn’t really know what to do with ourselves. Truthfully, that was probably our only successful round. A possible revival is still in the works, but I’m hoping to get it started again. It really was a nice community of readers.

That’s it! I know that sounds like a lot, but I breathe books anyway (not like this lady does, though), so it doesn’t feel like too much work.

I hope you check these out, though, especially if you love books, and if you love talking about them.

A few updates, I suppose. Sometimes, I need these assessment things to kind of prove to myself that I’m actually doing things. It’s kind of hard to remember when you are in charge of your time, and it seems like a lot of it goes to television and eating and invasive Tumblr memes.

Above: Lunar Landing, 2011. This: Science Year, 2011.

After Hours, 2011.

Missya (detail), 2011. This is a small part of a whole, which happens to be a part of a big series.

Aside from these things, I’ve been quite busy with client work, which I am thankful for. But sometimes, I feel like crashing my head through a wall. Sometimes, it really pays off, though. One of my recent projects is called Roadtrip Zambales, which is an effort to draw more people to beautiful Zambales! Here is the teaser. I had nothing to do with it, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.

Other exciting things also happened in the week that was, but I’m a bit too tired and knackered to talk about them. After all, it’s half past four in the morning. Lately, I’ve been thinking about my place in the world and it just depresses me. It depresses me that I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough and  that people look down on me. It’s really just ramblings of an ex-high school loser, but sometimes, it really can’t be helped. It’s been growing more intensely, and I don’t know what to do, so I bury myself in work and t.v. and lots and lots of tea. Anyway.

Until then, I hope you enjoy these. I’ll be back with exciting new projects, and perhaps pictures. Good night.

If you’ve been on the Internet a lot, you’ve probably heard about Tiger Translate. Tiger Translate is a worldwide campaign that showcases local creative talents, and they’ve chosen Manila as their next stop! The first leg of this bar tour will happen on November 18, 2011—this Friday—at KYSS. There’s going to be live music from Turbo Goth, as well as a live Graffiti Battle between KST Philippines’ Nuno and Ekis.

For more information about Tiger Translate, head on over to their official website: TigerTranslate.com. You’ll see how amazing and far-reaching this “cross-cultural movement” has been, having gone to places like Beijing, Bangkok, Cambodia, Sydney, and so on.

I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and exercise creativity in a different way. I’m so used to going to galleries and exhibits that are static, so this is a new way for me to get to know how other people perceive art. Taken from their website:

We’re cross-cultural.
We’re multi-disciplinary.
We’re East meets West.
We’re Tiger Translate.

And our mission? To generate the next big bang in creativity through exposure to different cultures and experiences. Fusing visionaries from the ends of the world, we showcase the best of emerging Asian creativity with work that challenges the status quo. And more importantly, work that entertains, engages and inspires you. But don’t take our word for it. Open your mind to new possibilities and see it for yourself here.

If you were interested in seeing the kind of art this movement has produced, you can see them for yourself.

Here’s a link to their teaser video, since I can’t seem to figure out how to embed it. Looks exciting, yes?

I think it’s about time something like this happened, too.

Don’t forget!

Tiger Translate kicks off in Manila with a bang! Watch the Graffiti Showdown between local street artists Nuno and Ekis from KST Philippines as they showcase their creativity live, and around the theme of GOLD.

Be part of the electric atmosphere on 18th November in the Philippines, and enjoy live music from Turbo Goth (http://turbogoth.bandcamp.com/). Drink up on your fill of Tiger Beer, and see which artist will emerge victorious!

Event: Tiger Translate in Manila
Theme: Gold
Date: 18th November 2011
Time: 9p.m.
Location: KYSS Bar

Join us as we bring the vibrancy and creativity of Tiger Translate to Manila.

Hope to see you there!

Hong Kong has been a recent favorite city to visit. This time around, I was able to explore the Hong Kong side, instead of the Kowloon side, which is where we usually stay. I was able to explore a bit more, which is always good.

This was taken near Stanley Market, which I had never been to. I love the contrast of the rocks against the sea.

These are—for some reason—headless soldier statues. My dad thinks they have detached heads so that it’ll be easier to transport them without running the risk of damage.

Continue reading HONG KONG, 2011….

Let’s be honest: I’ll probably have maybe 2 more posts on Hong Kong, because there are a lot of good photos, and I have an impulse to share. One thing I really wanted to post about, though, was the great type work I saw in Hong Kong Disneyland. Most of these are examples from façades and fake storefronts around Main Street, but just look at the care that went into these things.

I wouldn’t mind living in a city like this!

(OK, maybe I would mind a little, but isn’t it all so very pretty?)

Even the lightbulb packaging got great type treatment!

Continue reading DISNEYLAND & TYPOGRAPHY….